Michael Heyman

"Having been a student here, I feel a real connection with the institution and the students. I can't imagine a better place for me to teach. At Berklee, I can pursue both of my passions: literature and music. I develop both as I meet talented students and faculty, and as I do my own research, professional and creative writing, and musical projects."

"In addition to poetry and literature from around the world, I teach nonsense literature. This might sound strange. It's not something students would see in a typical college lit. class, but I suppose mine are not typical college lit. classes. Behind the fun and craziness of literary nonsense is a rigorous sense of aesthetics and a bedrock of intelligent and constructive rebellion—a way of questioning the status quo and an outlet for individual, creative thought. What better education for a Berklee student, or anyone for that matter?"

"My Children's Literature and Music class is all about respecting children and recognizing how our culture is created and sustained by them. All of the good and all of the bad in our cultures start with how we raise our children. I try to show students how to appreciate the amazing literature and music out there for kids. In the process, we question our preconceived notions of childhood, and hopefully come out with a fresh awareness of our culture and ourselves. The last step is to put students on the path to creating intellectually challenging and aesthetically interesting entertainment and education for children. All of this knowledge also can serve as a way to get into the extremely lucrative industry of children's entertainment and education!"

Career Highlights

Alumnus, Berklee College of Music

B.A., Franklin and Marshall College

M.Phil., Oxford University

Ph.D., University of Glasgow

Tenor saxophonist, flutist, tabla player

Coordinator of the College Writing Center

Faculty advisor for the Debate and Slam Poetry clubs

Head editor of The Tenth Rasa: An Anthology of Indian Nonsense (Penguin, 2007)

Papers published in The Horn Book, Children's Literature Association Quarterly, The Lion and the Unicorn, The Five Owls, and Children's Literature and the Fin de Siecle

Short stories for children published in The Moustache Maharishi and Other Unlikely Stories (Scholastic) and The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories (Puffin)